Adafruit 16-Channel PWM / Servo Bonnet for Raspberry Pi

by Adafruit

Control 16 Servos with perfect timing!

The Raspberry Pi is a wonderful little computer, but one thing it isn't very good at is controlling Servo Motors - these motors need very specific and repetitive timing pulses to set the position. Instead of asking the Pi Linux kernel to send these signals, pop on this handy bonnet! It adds the capability to control 16 Servos with perfect timing. It can also do PWM up to 1.6 KHz with 12 bit precision, all completely free-running.

For use with Raspberry Pi Model Zero, A+, B+, Pi 2, Pi 3 or Pi 4 (any Pi with 2x20 header). This bonnet will not fit on an original Raspberry Pi with 2x13 pin header.

The Adafruit 16-Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Bonnet will drive up to 16 servos or PWM outputs over I2C with only 2 pins. The on-board PWM controller will drive all 16 channels simultaneously with no additional Raspberry Pi processing overhead. What's more, you can stack up to 62 of them to control up to 992 servos - all with the same 2 pins!

Works with any servo that can be powered by 5V and take 3.3V logic level signals. There's a solder jumper you can adjust if you'd like to change the output logic level to be 5V

Best of all, Adafruit even have a Python library you can use, so you'll be up and running instantly, to make your robotic creation come to life. The Adafruit PWM/Servo Bonnet is the perfect solution for any project that requires a lot of servos or PWM outputs! Please check out the detailed tutorial for lots more information including diagrams, schematics, installation instructions and more

Each order comes with a Servo Bonnet, a 2-pin terminal block, 2.1mm DC jack, and four 3x4 headers. You'll need to do some light through-hole soldering to attach the terminal block or jack, and headers onto the bonnet circuit board, but its easy to do with basic soldering tools like a soldering iron and rosin core electronics solder. If you would like to stack multiple bonnets onto one Pi, you can also pick up a 2x20 stacking header and a set of right-angle 3x4 headers that should be soldered on instead.

Please note! This kit does not come with Raspberry Pi, servos, or required 5V power supply.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

  • Board Dimensions (w/o components): 65mm x 30.4mm x 8mm / 2.5" x 1.19" x 0.31"
  • 8.5g / .29oz

Revision History:

  • As of December 7, 2022 - Adafruit have updated this PCB with Adafruit Pinguin to make a lovely and legible silkscreen - you may get the new PCB or the older version with vector fonts - both are identical other than the fancy silkscreen.